Vibrating apparatus



Feb. 19,

Filed Nov.

1963 H. HouBEAU ETAL VIBRATING APPARATUS 25, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1

/3/ www@ Feb- 19, 1963 H. HouBEAu ETL 3,077,869

VIBRATING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 25, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A L 24 as 2" 2a` l -2s un u Feb. 19, 1963 H. HouBx-:Au ETAL 3,077,369

VIBRATING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 25. 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 HHHHHHHHl HIIIH ffii ai, @gilded i Patented ii'eh. if?, 'i933 many Filed Nov. 25, i959, Ser. No. 56,327 Claires priority, application elgium Nov. 26, i958 3 Claims. (Cl. mth-33) 'the present invention relates to a vibrating apparatus, particularly for health-improving purposes, which comprises a load-supporting element such as a frame or pla"- form which is subjected to the vibrations of the apparatus and transmits such vibrations to the respective load thereon. Such apparatus is used for subjecting a person to vibrations for refreshing iirn, improving his blood circulation, giving him a kind of massage, reducing 'his weight, and for other health-improving purposes.

it' is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the above-mentioned kind which is far superior in effect to similar apparatus as previously devised.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus in which the load-supporting element carries out approximately 4,000 to 6,000 vibrations per minute.

Extensive research, experiments, and tests have shown that human 'beings are especially favorably affected by vibrations 'of` the above-mentioned range of frequency. The apparatus according to the invention is, however, also of great value and importance for various industrial purposes, for example, for filtering, jarring, mixing, and venting various materials.

According to the present invention the load-supporting element of the apparatus forming a frame or housing with a platform thereon is adapted to oscillate in two directions which extend at right angles to each other. It is hereby possible to produce a vibratory movement, for example, in a circular or elliptical direction which is especially of advantage for vibrating human beings. Such vibrations may thus extend, for example, in horizontal and vertical d' `ections or only with a horizontal plane.

The vibrations of the vibrator housing and platform vrmay be generated in a manner known as such by means of an eccentric shaft. in order to produce the vibrations uniformly and efiicicntly at all parts of the vibrator housing, the apparatus according to the invention is designed lso lthat the center of gravity of the vibrator housing will bo located within or closely adjacent to the vertical plane which passes through the axis of the eccentric shaft.

The present invention is not particularly concerned with the means for driving the eccentric shaft which may, for example, consist 4of electromagnetic means. However, the present invention provides that the driving means mechanically act upon the eccentric shaft preferably at the longitudinal center thereof, and that the eccentric parts on the shaft are disposed symmetrically relative to this center of the shaft.

For subjecting a person to vibration treatments, it is according to the invention especially desirable if the different parts of the body are subjected simultaneously to the vibrations. The present invention therefore provides the following features either individually or in combination with each other in addition to the vibrating apparatus itself, namely, vibrating handle bars or the like which may be gripped by the person standing, sitting, or lying on the vibrator platform; additional vibrating foot rests which may be pro-vided if the person is sitting or lying on tho vibrating platform; and vibrating rods, cups, disks, and the like which may be driven by the main apparatus by a flexible shaft and may be used by the person himself receiving the vibration treatment or by another person assisting him to treat particular parts of the body.

ysegmental recesses into such wall.

in order to carry out vibratory treatments either on persons or any objects successfully, it is generally of importance that the intensity of the vibrations may be regulated and controlled. For producing the vibrations of the housing or platform of the vibrator, the present invention therefore provides an eccentric shaft with an adjustable degree of eccentricity or an adjustable elastic mounting or both.

in treating perso-ns with vibrations it is further very desirable if the particular person While being vibrated may also be subjected to other beneficial influences. Thus, according to the invention, the vibrating apparatus may 'be additionally provided with a sound generator, for example, a buzzer, or with special sound insulating means or sound control means which are adapted to inutile all sounds except, for example, deep sounds. For an outer treatment of the body and skin of a person, the invention further provides a blower which is adapted to blow, for example, air which is enriched with oxygen, borax, a suitable solution or the like.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description thereof, particularly when the saure is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- FiGURE l shows diagrammatically a side view of a vibrating apparatus according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a cross section taken along line ll-ii of FGURE l;

FIGURE 3 shows a part of FEGURE 2 on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 4 shows a cross section taken along line iV-iV of FIGURE 3;

FiGURE 5 shows a cross section taken along line V--V of FGURE 1, but 'on a larger scale;

FIGURE 6 shows a diagrammatic illustration of a Inodification of the vibrating apparatus according to the invention, as seen in a plan View;

FiGURE 7 shows a cross section :of a modification of tho resilient mounting of the vibrator frame;

FlGURE 8 shows a cross section of a further modification of the elastic mounting of the vibrator frame;

FiGURE 9 shows a central longitudinal section of an end portion `of the eccentric shaft lof the vibrator frame in which the eccentricity of the shaft is adjustable;

FIGURE 10 shows a view similar to FGURE 9 of a part of the eccentric shaft and of the adjusting device; While FiGUiES l1 to 13 show cross sections of the eccentric shaft according to FlGURE 9 with 4the adjustable part thereof in diiferent operating positions.

As illustrated particularly in FlGURES l and 2 of the drawings, the vibrating apparatus according to the invention consists essentially of a box-shaped vibrator frame or housing i which has positively connected thereto a platform or standing plato Z for a person to stand on and to be vibrated. This housing i supports an eccentric shaft 3 which is mounted in two opposite side walls of the housing and in a position so that the center of ravity of the vibrator housing passes through, or is located closely adjacent to the vertical plane which passes through the axis of the eccentric shaft.

As iilustrated in FGURE 3, at least one end of the eccentric shaft 3 which is mounted in a side wall of the vibrator housing is designed to permit additional vibrating appliances to be connected thereto. The eccentricity of shaft 3 may be attained by the provision of rcscesses therein which be formed by drilling bores into the peripheral wall of the shaft or by cutting one or more If these recesses consist of bores i2, they :nay be filled with a material of a annees 3 different density or specific gravity than the metal of shaft 3.

The box-shaped vibrator housing may be provided, preferably directly adjacent to the bearings of the eccentric shaft 3, with U-shaped arms 14, the upper ends of which form handle bars 13. These arms may be telescopically adjustable so that the handle bars 13 may be adjusted to the height of the person using the apparatus. For this purpose, the upper U-shaped part of these arms is slidable within a tubular member which is secured to the lower part 14 and provided with bores 16 into which bolts or pins 17 may be inserted to tix the upper handle part at different heights. However, the handle bars 13 may also be upwardly inclined, in which event they may be of a sufficient height to accommodate persons of different heights and may then also be integral with the lower parts 14.

As previously indicated, one or both ends of shaft 3 may be designed to permit a flexible shaft 19 to be connected thereto. The other end of this flexible shaft may carry a suitable hand vibrator 23 for treating specific parts of the human body. The flexible shaft 19 is enclosed by a flexible hose 24 and terminates at one end in a connecting piece 20, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, which may be, for example, of a triangular cross section and which engages into a corresponding central bore or socket 18 in the end of the eccentric shaft 3.

As illustrated in FIGURE 5, the hand vibrator 23 may, for example, consist of a tubular rod, the open end of which is attached to the end of the flexible hose 24 and which contains a rod-shaped eccentric member 22 which is secured to the end of the tiexible shaft 19 and is rotatably mounted within a suitable bearing in the tubular rod 23. The hand vibrator may, however, also be of any other desired shape and instead of being permanently connected to the end of the flexible shaft 19 and the eccentric member 22 thereon, it may be removably attached thereto so as to be exchangeable for a different appliance. The rotatable ececntric member 22 may also form a permanent component of the hand vibrator or the appliance which may then be fitted as a whole upon the angular end portion 20 of the flexible shaft 19. The eccentric member 22 may also be of a shape in accordance with that of the particular appliance.

The eccentric shaft 3 within the vibrator housing 1 may be driven by a motor which is mounted in a stationary housing S, as shown in FIGURE 1 and the drive shaft 7 of which carries a pulley 11 which is connected by a belt 6 to another pulley 1t) which is rigidly secured to the eccentric shaft 3 substantially at the center thereof, as shown in FIGURE 2. An elastic cushioning member 9 having an aperture therein for the passage of belt 6 through the adjacent walls of housings 1 and 8 connects these housings to each other so that the vibrations of housing 1 will not be transmitted to housing 8 and the motor therein and the stationary housing 8 will also not restrain the vibrations of housing 1. For the same reason, housing 1 is also provided with elastic feet 25, for example, of rubber, by means of which housing 1 is mounted on a base 28 which also supports the motor housing 8 and, in turn, rests on the floor on feet 29 which may also consist of rubber.

As indicated in dotted lines in FIGURES l and 6, the motor housing 8 may also contain a blower 26 with an outlet 27, which may be driven by the motor shaft 7, but preferably by means of a clutch, not shown, so as to be disconnected therefrom. If desired, this blower may be connected either to a supply of oxygen or a suitable solution or powder which may be picked up by the air current of the blower and vaporized in the direction toward the person standing on the platform 2. Such an additional treatment is very valuable since the body of such a person, having a stimulated blood circulation due to the vibration, is especially susceptible at such a time to a treatment of and through the skin.

According to FIGURE 6, the motor housing 8 may also contain a buzzer 34 with an adjustable sound which may also be driven by the motor shaft 7 by means of a clutch so as to be started and stopped whenever desired. Such a buzzer or similar means should provide a deep buzzing sound which has been found to have a favorable penetrating effect upon the interior organs of a human body, especially when the same is subjected at the same time to vibrations.

The box-shaped vibrator housing 1 may be further provided at the inside with a sound-insulating or sound absorbing layer and the base 28 may also either consist of a sound-insulating or sound-absorbing material or be provided, especially on the lower side, with a layer of such a material.

The vibrator housing 1 may also be suspended on the base 23 by means of rubber strips. This modification is illustrated in FIGURE 7, in which base 28 forms a boxlike frame, on the walls of which the vibrator housing 1 is suspended by means of rubber strips 31 which are secured at the upper end by bolts 32 and nuts 33 to the inside of the walls of this base frame 28 and at the lower end by similar bolts and nuts to the walls of vibrator housing 1, being separated from both walls by spacing members 30. These rubber strips 31 may have a width of, for example, about 10 cm. and may be provided on each wall of housing 1 and base frame 28.

For regulating the amplitude of the vibrations, the vibrator housing 1 may also be connected to base 28 by elastic supporting means of an adjustable elasticity. As illustrated in FIGURE 8, each individual support of the vibrator housing 1 may consist of rubber cushions 36 which are connected by a bolt. One rubber cushion 36 is disposed between the base 28 and the vibrator housing 1, while two other cushions 36 rest against the inner side of the bottom wall of housing 1 and the top wall of the framelike base 2S, respectively, and each of them is covered by a metal washer 37. A bolt 32 passes tightly through a central bore in cushions 36 and through larger bores 4t) in the mentioned walls of housing 1 and base 28 without engaging with the latter. A nut 33 on bolt 32 tightens the assembly and is secured by a check nut 3B. The outer wall of housing 1 is provided with an aperture 39 through which nuts 33 and 3S may be adjusted at will from the outside to increase or reduce the pressure upon the rubber cushions 36 and thereby to vary the degree of elasticity of the supports of the vibrator housing 1.

For varying the strength of the vibrations, the degree of eccentricity of the eccentric shaft may be made adjustable, as illustrated in FIGURES 9 to 13. For this pur pose, the eccentric shaft may be tubular and provided with a cylindrical eccentric insert which may be turned about its axis within the tubular shaft and secured in different positions relative to the latter.

As shown in FIGURES 9 and l0, the tubular eccentric shaft 41 contains a cylindrical eccentric rod 42 which has a diametrically transverse bore 43 into which a pair of brake shoes 4S are inserted which are pressed by a oentral spring 44 against the inner surface of the wall of shaft 41. This wall of shaft 41 has a socketlike extension in which a spring-loaded ball 46 is mounted which is adapted to engage into a corresponding recess 47 in the outer surface of rod 42 when the latter is turned accordingly relative to shaft 41. A supporting bracket 56 which is secured to the vibrator housing 1 carries a locking member 48 which may be screwed forwardly or :backwardly so as to lock or release the tubular eccentric shaft `41. This shaft is further provided at its end portion with inner screw threads into which a connecting disk 49 may be screwed. The end of the rod 42 has a central socketlike bore 50 containing at the bottom a compression spring 52 which acts upon a cylindrical member 51 with a conical outer end which is nonrotatable but slidable in the axial direction within bore 50 by being provided with a longitudinal groove 5.4 into which a key 53 extends which is mounted in the inner wall of bore 50. Due to the pressure of spring 52 against the conical member 51, the latter is pressed tightly against the corresponding conical bore in disk 49 and thus forms a constant connection between the eccentric rod 42 and the tubular eccentric shaft 41. The end of the conical member S1 which projects through disk 49 carries a disk 55, as shown in FIGURE 10, which is disposed opposite to another disk 60 on an adjusting screw 58 which is threaded into a supporting bracket 56 on vibrator housing 1 and has a setting knob 59 on its outer end. A projection 62 on knob 59 serves as a pointer which is associated with a dial ring 57 which is rotatably adjustable. A nut l61 on screw 58 is provided for locking disk `60 in a certain adjusted position relative to disk 55.

For adjusting the position of the eccentric rod 42 within and relative to the tubular eccentric shaft 41, the latter is first locked by screwing the locking member '48 against it, whereupon nut 61 is released so that the adjusting screw 58 can be turned to move disk `60 against disk 5S so as to shift rod 42 toward the left until ball 46 engages into the recess 47. The rotation of knob 59 is then stopped, and dial ring 57 is turned until its zero line coincides with pointer V62. Knob 59 may thereupon be turned to turn the eccentric rod 42 relative to the tubular eccentric shaft 41 in accordance with the desired angle as indicated on dial 57.

The spring-loaded ball 46 in shaft 41 and the recess 47 in rod 42 are disposed in such a position that, when they are in engagement, this will correspond to the position in which the shaft assembly has the minimum degree of eccentricity and exerts the minimum of vibrations since the two eccentric parts on rod 42 and tubular shaft 41 are then diametrically opposite to each other, as shown in FIGURE 13. When rod 42 is turned 180 by means of knob 59, the two eccentric parts on rod 42 and tubular shaft 41 will face in the same direction, as shown in FIGURE 11. Consequently, in this position the apparatus will vibrate with the greatest intensity. When rod 42 is turned to any intermediate position relative to tubular shaft 41, for example, to that as shown n FIGURE 12, the apparatus will be adjusted to carry out any other degree of vibration. As soon as rod 42 has been turned rto the desired angle, locking member 48 will be screwed back from the tubular shaft 41, whereupon screw 58 is screwed back and then is locked in the adjusted position by the engagement of the conical member 51 with the conical bore in disk 49.

Although our invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, we wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed our invention, what we claim is:

l. A therapeutic vibrator comprising a base member, a vibrator housing associated with a standing plate, means for vibrating the vibrator housing relative to said base member, support means, and two hand bar units, said hand bar units being adjustable in height and being secured to said vibrator housing to extend upwardly at opposite sides of said `standing plate, said support means being interposed between said base member and vibrator housing and permitting vibration of said vibrator housing and each of said hand bar units.

2. In the vibrating apparatus according to claim l, the vibrating means being adapted to vibrate the vibrator housing and handle bar units at approximately 4,000 to 6,000 vibrations per minute.

3. In the vibrating apparatus according to claim 1, each of said units consisting of a U-shaped support and a U-shaped hand bar proper, the legs of each U being telescopically adjustable.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 920,814 Behm May 4, 1909 2,295,283 Mall Sept. 8, 1942 2,349,837 Wettlaufer May 30, 1944 2,576,116 Hoffman Nov. 27, 1951 2,610,040 Emmons Sept. 9, 1952 2,659,365 Lewis Nov. 17, 1953 2,821,191 Paii Jan. 28, 1958 2,822,804 Leach Feb. 11, 1958 2,874,689 Gavelek Feb. 24, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 590,330 Great Britain July 15, 1947 

1. A THERAPEUTIC VIBRATOR COMPRISING A BASE MEMBER, A VIBRATOR HOUSING ASSOCIATED WITH A STANDING PLATE, MEANS FOR VIBRATING THE VIBRATOR HOUSING RELATIVE TO SAID BASE MEMBER, SUPPORT MEANS, AND TWO HAND BAR UNITS, SAID HAND BAR UNITS BEING ADJUSTABLE IN HEIGHT AND BEING SECURED TO SAID VIBRATOR HOUSING TO EXTEND UPWARDLY AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID STANDING PLATE, SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID BASE MEMBER AND VIBRATOR 